The prominent eurosceptic made the shocking allegations on LBC this morning after a caller had claimed that the case was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” in his own relationship with the EU. Mr Rees-Mogg expanded: “What happened was, during the financial crisis, the council decided that there was such a crisis that the automatic pay increase shouldn’t go through. So the commission took the council to the European Court (ECJ) and the European Court ruled that all these pay increases should go through in spite of the financial crisis.

“Including, of course, the pay of the judges themselves – in breach of one of the fundamental principles of justice: that you should never be a judge in your own cause.

“And I think this was one of the most ridiculous aspects of the EU and showed an inner corruption.”

The ECJ’s decision in 2010 paved the way for an estimated 50,000 EU civil servants to get a pay increase of 3.7 percent.

The ECJ judges in Luxembourg, who at the time earned £215,000 a year, stood to benefit from the pay rise.

The move was met with fierce criticism from the UK, where the court ruling was branded as “appalling” by former Ukip MEP Marta Andreasen, who said: “This blows a hole in the whole EU budget process.

“David Cameron has to block this pay rise as the whole 2.9 percent rise of the entire EU budget agreed by him is ignored by this judgement.

“This pay rise will break that agreement.

“The Court is blind to the financial anguish that is affecting millions across the continent, but they just don’t care.

“In these times of crisis for countries across the EU it ill serves Eurocrats to be awarding themselves pay rises, whining that their purchasing power has dropped.

“They must be blind, stupid or just arrogant.”

Theresa May has told MPs it is their “national duty” to pass a Brexit deal after withdrawal from the EU was again pushed back.

Addressing the Commons after the EU offered the UK a six-month Brexit delay until October 31, Halloween, the Prime Minister said Parliament needed to come together for the national good.

Mrs May said agreeing a deal was the only way to avoid the UK holding European Parliament elections on May 23.

The Prime Minister told MPs: “We need to resolve this. So that we can leave the European Union with a deal as soon as possible.

“This is our national duty as elected members of this House – and nothing today is more pressing or more vital.”

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